


No Thoughts, Just Actions

by wanderingbutnotlost1221



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Ach-To, F/M, Force Bond (Star Wars), Protective Kylo Ren, Redeemed Ben Solo, The Force Ships It, balance, protective
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-27
Updated: 2018-03-27
Packaged: 2019-04-13 18:51:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14118678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wanderingbutnotlost1221/pseuds/wanderingbutnotlost1221
Summary: He didn't realise he left his helmet behind... all he could think about was getting to her before something happened.





	No Thoughts, Just Actions

      He’d guessed where she was the second that she told him about the mirror, the terror that she had felt. He hadn’t been sure of course, but there was only one place that a force user would run to and expect to be empty. Only one place that could match all of the things that she had accidentally told him about the planet she was on. Of course he didn’t mention to her that he knew, too focused on this connection between them, on comforting her in her fear.  
       “You’re not alone.” He told her and he meant it more than he could have ever imagined. The feeling inside of him as he said it, the way that his very soul felt at peace for the first time that he could remember. He could easily see the dark thread that was Snoke’s presence in his mind, could feel the absolute sickness that filtered into his mind from it. For a second, he was tempted to rip it out, but all that would get him was killed. For now he would have to be subtle.  
      “Neither are you.” Her voice was quite, almost impossible to hear, but in the silence of wherever they were, it was as if she had screamed. The way that the force reacted, the way that it absolutely sang across the galaxy let him know that this is exactly why they had been bonded, that this was what the world needed, the balance that they achieved together. She held her hand out to him hesitantly and he could almost hear the turmoil within her, the fear that he would laugh at her and reject her at her most vulnerable. He quickly pulled off his glove and reached his hand out to her. The second their fingers touched it was as if the force was surrounding them, taking them to nirvana, showing them everything they wanted, everything the galaxy needed, how good and right them being together was. As quickly as it came it was broken by his uncle storming in screaming. Suddenly Ben was back in his star ship alone and terrified. Rey… would his uncle hurt her? Ben remembered how the darkness in him had almost gotten him killed. There was no choice, he had to get to Ach-to as quickly as possible and he needed to save her from whatever it was that Luke was planning on doing to her to ensure that there was no darkness in her. He ran quickly, ignoring the storm troopers that flinched our of his way, he hardly realised he didn’t have his mask on, that many of them didn’t realise who he way, all he could think of was getting to his ship.

  
       He made it to the ship and disabled the trackers, then disabled the hidden trackers he knew both Snoke and Hux had put on it, reaching out with the force he ensured that no one would be able to follow him. With that he punched it to hyper-drive before he had left the space bay. He needed to get there immediately. It would take about and hour travelling at hyper-speed to get to Rey. He only hoped that he would get there in time. He didn’t know if his Uncle would kill Rey, would try and hurt her, the same way that he had tried to hurt Ben, but he was unwilling to take that chance, unwilling to lose her when she had only just made her way to him, when he had only just realised how they were meant to be the balance that the world so desperately craved.  
       The hour passed agonizingly slow, he was too scared to reach out with the force and see if he could connect with Rey, too scared to feel her the loss of her within the force. Although, he figured that if she were truly gone, he would know anyways, would feel it in his soul, in the unbalancing of the force that they’d only just balanced. As it were, he was unsure if he could trust his Uncle not to harm her, not to force her to be only light, the way that he tried to force Ben, not to try and kill her if she wasn’t what he wanted. The Second he was at Ach-to he focused on the force, trying to feel where on the remote world she was, there were very few smatterings of islands, but he couldn’t afford to be wrong. He felt her and landed his ship, next to the Falcon. He all but ran down the gangway and towards the pull in his heart. HE heard shouting, heard her voice and it filled him with hope.  
       “You were wrong about him! His choice wasn’t made then!” Rey shouted at Luke. Luke simply stared at her shaking his head. “If I go to him…” She paused and looked up, sensing Ben. He was running, looking worried. All of a sudden Luke was in front of her, blocking her off from Ben.  
       “Don’t take a step further Kylo Ren.” Luke’s voice was angry, but Ben hardly even noticed.  
       “Rey, are you… are you okay?!” He was frantic, his eyes searching over her, wanting to ensure that she was alright, that his uncle hadn’t hurt her because of him. Rey stepped around Luke and walked to Ben.  
       “You’re… are you here?” She asked softly. Ben nodded, unable to take his eyes off of her. “Why are you here?” She asked.  
       “I… He was so angry. I was worried that he would hurt you, that he would try to do the same thing as he did to me because of your connection with… darkness, with me.” He muttered walking closer to her, wary of his Uncle watching them, but uncaring for the most part. He was here, with Rey. She paused and then swung her arms around him, essentially jumping to hug him. He caught her, holding her close to him, even though she was barely on her toes.  
       “Oh god you’re really here!” She gasped into his neck. He held her close; unsure of the last time he could remember someone voluntarily allowing him to touch them, voluntarily touching him.  
      “Of course I am here. I couldn’t let anything happen to you.” He muttered, knowing that his uncle was listening, knowing that he could attack at any moment, but also knowing that he was allowing himself to be vulnerable here, in front of him, for this girl who he barely knew. Eventually he loosened his hold on Rey and set her down, allowing himself to look up at his Uncle for the first time since he had found him standing over him with his lightsaber ignited.  
      “You… you came all this way to check on Rey?” It was an unusual first words after so many years and so much distance and negativity between them. Ben supposed that he wouldn’t have known where to start either.  
      “Yes. Rey is… well to most she would be nothing I suppose.” He paused and looked at her, allowing his lips to curl up into a small smile at her narrowed eyes. “But not to me she isn’t.” He turned back to his Uncle. “I thought… you were so angry, I was worried that you might hurt her because of any attachment to the darkness. Like you intended to do with me. I couldn’t let that happen so I came here as quickly as I could.” He explained. His uncle lowered his head.  
      “I… I am sorry for what I did. For who you became because of me.” Luke intoned. His voice was distant, as if he was back at that temple, back at his school, standing over his only nephew, ready to kill him.  
      “It wasn’t just you. I know Snoke is in my mind, I can feel him there, can feel the darkness he has forced upon me.” Ben’s voice was quiet, but carried across the area as if he had been shouting. “But Rey is right… I hadn’t decided… I.. I woke up and I had no other choice.” Ben sighed.  
      “You came all this way to ensure that she was okay?” Luke was giving Ben a funny look, almost as if he hadn’t seen him before, or was seeing him in a new light.  
      “Yes. I said… I care about Rey. We are force bonded for a reason.. I.” Ben trailed off and blushed. He was revealing too much, being too forward. Rey would know either way, as entwined as they were, even more so now that they weren’t across the galaxy from one another.  
      “And you can still feel Snoke in your head?”  
      “Yes, I can feel the pit that is his presence in my mind. I’ve built a shield around it, but he is still there.” Ben explained. He felt Luke reach out with the force and immediately threw a shield up around him and Rey. Luke raised an eyebrow at him.  
      “I am simply trying to feel Snoke within you, I won’t hurt you, or her.” He smirked at them and Ben rolled his eyes. He lowered the shield around him, keeping the one around Rey up, just in case. His hand gripped his lightsaber, needing the reassuring weight of it in his palm to allow his Uncle to connect to the force around him. He startled when he felt Rey slide her palm into his, realising for the first time that his gloves were likely still on the supremacy, that in his haste he had essentially left Kylo Ren with the first order. Would he be able to go back? He chanced a glance at Rey and the smile she was giving him. It was unlikely. But what did that mean? Would he be able to join the resistance, knowing that he had killed his father, knowing that his mother was leading them? It was complicated, but he knew he was likely to follow Rey wherever it is that she wanted him to go.  
      “What can we do about the bond to Snoke?” Rey asked. Ben shrugged.  
      “I didn’t cut it out when I left as I didn’t want to alert him to the fact that I was leaving, or have him follow me here to you. I will have to break it, I know how. It will likely hurt a whole lot, it has been there since I was a little boy.” He turned towards Luke. “I will never be light, I will never be a Jedi, I will likely never be what you and my mother and my father wanted me to be, I simply am what I am. Even without Snoke I will always be dark, but together, Rey and I are balance. I have light in me the same way that she has darkness in her. The force… the force wants balance and that is why it brought us together.” His uncle stared at him.  
      “So you will leave the first order?”  
      “It seems to me that Ben has already left.” Rey interjected, her eyes narrowed at Luke. He may be a Jedi master, but she hadn’t forgotten his prejudice towards all darkness, towards everything that Ben was, even before he had become it.  
      “And what will Kylo Ren do outside of the First Order?” Luke hissed. Ben shrugged. He knew the truth.  
      “Kylo Ren didn’t leave the first Order.” He turned to meet Rey’s eyes, needing her to understand what he was saying. He reached a hand out and cupped her cheek, enjoying the warmth of her skin. “Kylo Ren didn’t make it off of the Supremacy, but Ben Solo did.” He said softly. He felt Rey’s intake of breath and then basked in the brilliant smile she rewarded him with. He gave his own half smile back to her, feeling the force sing. It was the only reassurance that he needed that he was doing the right thing.  
      “I see. Well we should likely break the connection with Snoke then. Then we will talk about… everything else I guess. Also you should know, Chewwie is here.” Ben felt like a bolt had gone through his chest. His fathers best friend, his unofficial uncle, someone who had helped raise him, the only one who never spoke of the darkness in him. He was here. And it was too late for Ben, he’d already killed his father, already ruined any chance of that relationship being anything but… soured by his actions. He felt tears gather in his eyes but wiped them away. He would have to deal with the consequences of his actions at some point, there was no use crying over what was, not when he had something important to do now.  
They made their way to the huts that the nuns cared for and all entered into the hut that Rey had claimed for herself. They sat together and Ben sighed.  
      “If I do this he will tear apart the galaxy looking for me, looking for you.” He directed at Rey. She shrugged.  
      “We will defeat him together. You aren’t alone.” She said with a smile. He nodded, recognising his own words and the meaning behind them.  
      “Neither are you.”  
      “Right well I think we should get this show on the road. Time to sever the connection with his supreme darkness or whatever.” Luke interrupted. Rey rolled her eyes, knowing that he was obviously uncomfortable with their familiarity with one another. He would have to get used to it because she was not letting Ben out of her sight ever again if she could help it. There was no reason to, not anymore.  
      “Rey… Can you…” Ben sighed and simply held his hand out to her. She nodded and took it, ignoring the annoyed huff Luke let out. She gave it a squeeze, letting Ben know that she was there, that she was with him. He closed his eyes and began meditating. Rey did the same, allowing the force to flourish between them. She smiled as she felt Ben’s thanks. He turned his thoughts inwards quickly and found the darkness that was Snoke. He could see where the Tendrils leached into his own consciousness and slowly began to pry them off. He knew he had to be quick and efficient or else Snoke would fight him tooth and nail. He felt the moment Snoke realised what was happening and braced himself for the impact of Snoke attempting to take hold of him. He fought it, focused on the light in him, and the light he felt from Rey. He pulled her presence to him, asking her to help him. Together they vanquished Snoke’s hold on his mind, finally freeing him of the oppressive darkness that was the supreme ruler.

Ben blinked open his eyes to see his Uncle sitting across from the hut staring at the two of them. He turned to look at Rey, aware that their hands were still intertwined.  
      “He is gone.” He said softly. Rey nodded and smiled.  
      “How does it feel?”  
      “Different. I am still drawn to darkness, but it is not the same. I feel as if my thoughts are finally my own, as if I am free of a tar that was sticking to everything I did or thought. I feel… free.” Ben said softly. Rey nodded and grinned fully at him.  
      “I knew you would turn, but I thought it would be a lot more work than this. I saw it when our hands touched. We will stand together.” She said seriously. Ben nodded.  
      “Had I not… If I hadn’t thought you were in trouble I likely wouldn’t have left so easily. It is the only life I have known for so long, even if I still didn’t feel as if I belonged there. Stubbornness is sort of in my blood.” He smiled and looked over at his uncle.  
      “Do you know what the force was doing while you two were doing that?” Luke asked suddenly. Rey and Ben both shook their heads negatively.  
      “I could see it, and not in the normal way a Jedi or Force user see’s it. I could see it, flowing around you, could see the actual balance of it all. I’ve never… I didn’t even know that was possible.” Luke seemed astonished. “I… I think I was wrong. It isn’t about black and white, light and dark. The force so obviously wants balance.” Luke seemed to age before them. “For so long I thought that… that there was something wrong with me, for me to have raised Kylo Ren from the ashes of my own nephew. That I failed in more ways then just thinking about killing my sisters’ son. But I see now, that it wasn’t the Jedi I failed, it was the force. The Jedi Order was created to combat the Sith… I..” Luke trailed off. “Perhaps it is time things changed.” He said finally. Rey felt Ben shudder, knew that this was a lot for him, knew that he wasn’t particularly good with his emotions, or handling large amounts of stress healthily, so she decided it was time that they all took a break.  
      “It’s late, we should all get some rest and then decide what it is that we are going to do tomorrow.” She said seriously. Luke nodded and got up and went to the door. He looked behind him expectantly at Ben and for a split second Rey feared Ben would leave. However Luke simply shook his head and chuckled before leaving her hut. There was silence as they stared into the fire. “I was going to come to you, you know.” Rey said suddenly. Ben turned to look at her.  
      “Why would you do something like that? Are you kriffing insane? I would have had to take you to Snoke! And then what, just let him kill you in front of me?” Ben looked panicked at the very thought. Rey shrugged.  
      “I don’t know. I just thought if I came to you… if I came to you then you would come back with me to the resistance, that we could fight the first order together. I didn’t really think about Snoke or…”  
      “I would have had to kill him to save you.” Ben said seriously. Rey turned to look at him.  
      “And would you have?”  
      “I would have killed him and every praetorian guard to save you Rey. You’re the first person to believe in me, despite knowing who I am, what I am capable of, my very thoughts and soul, you believe in me and you see me.” Ben said softly. “I could no sooner let you come to serious harm than I could cut off my own arm.” Ben sighed and rubbed his eyes wearily.  
      “You’re tired. We should sleep.” Rey said softly. IF it weren’t for the bond ben would have assumed that she was weirded out by what he said, but he could feel how it warmed her more than the desert sun ever had.  
      “Yes, I can go back to my ship.. I.”  
      “No” Rey cut him off. She bit her lip and met his eyes. “Please stay. Here. With me.” Ben’s eyes widened, but he felt he no sooner wanted to be out of her sight than she wanted to be out of his. It was odd, considering they last time they had been together they were fighting. But all of the force connections and talks they had, he felt as if he knew her better than anyone else in the universe, and she definitely knew him better than anyone else in the universe. He nodded, swallowing, his throat clicking. She kicked off her shoes and led him to the bed. He took off his cloak and shirt, leaving him in just his pants before turning back to her.  
      “I umm… Should I.” He blushed and motioned to his trousers. Rey blushed brightly, but nodded.  
      “I have sleeping trousers that were… on the falcon that should fit you.” He nodded and accepted them before turning his back to her and slipping down his trousers and putting on the soft material of what could only have been his fathers clothing. He sighed, wondering if that weight in his chest would ever get any lighter. He doubted it. He turned around just in time to watch the expanse of Rey’s back disappear under a sleeping shirt. His face flared once more as she turned and caught him staring. Her back wasn’t smooth, covered in scars, some of which looked like whip marks. He knew she didn’t grow up well, but he still wanted to kill anyone who had dared to touch her. He crawled into the small bed, lying on his side with his back to the wall, watching as she slipping under the covers with him. She turned to face him and he was overwhelmed by her very presence. “You came… for me.” She said seriously. Ben nodded.  
      “I couldn’t have lived with myself… I know that I have done horrible things, unforgivable things. But I couldn’t’ live with myself if he hurt you because of me. You’re…” He trailed off, unable to explain himself, only knowing that he would protect her at the cost of his own life.  
      “You could have had the galaxy, could have had everything. You were essentially the prince of darkness. You left all of that to come for me.” She whispered. Ben was confused as to why she was confused. Of course he came for her, what else could he have possibly done. He reached out with the force tentatively, trying to understand. She let him in, as she had always done and he saw and understood.  
      “What your parents did was terrible, the life you endured was terrible and I am sorry for that. You are not worthless, you are not nothing, not to me. And I will always come for you. Surely you must know what you mean to me.” He said softly. Her hand reached out to touch him, to trace the mark that she had left on his face and chest. “I don’t want the galaxy, it is worth nothing if you are not beside me Rey.” He whispered softly. Rey froze and her eyes began to tear up.  
      “You’re the only person who wants me. Who wants me for who I am. You know that I am nothing but you want me.” She whispered softly. Ben nodded.  
      “You see me and I see you. You can see past the fact that…” Ben trailed off as tears filled his eyes. “That I… That I killed… my father” Ben whispered softly. Rey sighed.  
      “It’s not within me to forgive you for that. But I think I know why you did it. I think you thought it would finally give you peace.” She asked more than she said. Ben nodded, allowing the tears to slip down his face. She reached out and wiped them from his cheeks. “Ben, your father loved you and believed in you till the very end. He would have forgiven you, would have understood eventually, or at least he would have tried.” She said softly. Ben nodded, but the doubt was still there in his eyes, in his soul.  
      “My mother… she will never forgive me I doubt.” Rey shook her head.  
      “I will fight them all tooth and nail to make them understand. And so will your mother. She knows she shouldn’t have sent you away, she misses you. You’re Ben Solo, not Kylo Ren. You are changed, and if they cannot accept that then we leave the universe to tear itself apart and we will let them be. I won’t leave you, not when I finally can touch you.” She admitted. Ben’s tears continued to stream down his face but he seemed lighter at her words.  
      “I would follow you anywhere. I can’t imagine leaving, can’t imagine going back.,” He whispered.  
      “I would tie you up and sit on you if you tried. You and I both know we belong together. WE will make it work.” She whispered. Ben nodded and leaned into her, nervous, but sure of his actions. He placed a feather light kiss on her lips. He went to pull back but she surged up towards them, reconnecting their lips, shifting to allow him to slide an arm underneath her and pull her to him. It was crazy how everything he seemed to afraid or unsure of how to say seemed to make its way out of him in their simple kiss. When they broke apart he smiled fully at her before moving and kissing her forehead gently. They shuffled around, so that he was spooning her, their legs tucked up together and his arm holding her close to him, their fingers intertwined.  
      “I’m glad you’re here Ben. I know it’s going to be hard, and that it would have been so much easier to just ignore it. But I am so very glad that you came, that you are with me.” Rey whispered. She felt him press a kiss to the top of her head.  
      “As am I.”

**Author's Note:**

> None of the characters or places or themes or anything in this belong to me and I take no credit for their existence. Please don't sue me.


End file.
